Manchester City vs Chelsea: Match Preview

12 Aug 2012 09:38:26

Premier League winners Manchester City will face FA Cup and European winners Chelsea at Villa Park this afternoon, in the traditional Community Shield season curtain-opener.

City duo Micah Richards and Gareth Barry are set to miss Sunday's
glamour game, with the latter facing up to a month on the sidelines,
while captain Vincent Kompany will undergo a fitness test 24 hours
before the game.

Italian striker Mario Balotelli and Spanish
midfielder David Silva, who both starred at Euro 2012, will feature from
the bench after only beginning their pre-season preparations six days
ago following extended leave.

Chelsea
have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the clash at Villa Park, including new signings Eden Hazard and Marko Marin.

The stadium was chosen to host the game as Wembley is unavailable due to the Olympic
men's final between Brazil and Mexico on Saturday.

"It's certainly hard to stay at the top," Di Matteo said. "There'll
be a lot of good teams this season. The Premier League is getting more
balanced every year.

"They have a good squad and they will be
difficult to catch, but that's the job of all the other teams - to try
and win against Manchester City."

However, the Italian did admit
it will be tough for his side to challenge the two Manchester sides this
season having finished 25 points behind them last season.

"There's
been a big gap last season, and that is one of our challenges this
season, to bridge that gap," Di Matteo said. "25 points are a lot of
points, with both Manchester teams.